Known organosilicon compounds having a vinyl group include vinyltrichlorosilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinylmethyldiethoxysilane, vinyltris(methoxyethoxy)silane, and so on. These organosilanes are well known as silane coupling agents effective for improving physical properties of composite materials comprising organic polymers and inorganic fillers, and improving characteristics or adhesiveness of a surface of solid materials or inorganic fillers. They are also widely used as crosslinking agents or modifiers for various organic polymers.
It is known in the art that a vinyl group bonded to a silicon atom behaves differently from that bonded to a carbon atom so that introduction of a vinylsilane into organic polymers has been limited in various processes and still the art has encountered difficulty. Moreover, use of a vinylsilane has been limited due to its poor compatibility with organic compounds or organic polymers.
In an attempt to overcome these disadvantages, there have been proposed silicon compounds containing an alkenyl-substituted phenyl group (e.g., p-vinylphenyl group) as disclosed in JP-A-62-215608 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") and silicon compounds containing a 5-vinylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl group. However, these silicon compounds, though effective as modifiers for organic polymers, are not always satisfactory as a crosslinking agent or crosslinking aid.